Back To Basics

Lisa G. recently posted a great piece on her blog about going back to basics, and mastering them in an effort to improve (or work toward) more complex movements. It's fittingly titled "Back To Basics" and the original post can be found here - we've pasted it below as well:

BACK TO BASICS

The road back from my ankle injury has been incredibly humbling. From walking down stairs to standing on my bad ankle, some of the most basic movements have been hard. Doing air squats today was a big achievement for me, especially since bending just slightly on my bad foot caused me pain as recent as last week. Basics, as it seems, is like going back to where you grew up. It’s familiar, easy to get reacquainted with, and comfortable. Too often these days we see some wacko things on social media. From weighted strict muscle ups to parlor tricks using the barbell, it’s easy to get caught up in it.

MORE ISN’T BETTER

Every now and then I’m asked how I’m able to cycle through handstand push-ups so quickly. Is it because I spend hours each day practicing them? No, not really. It started off with getting one and then improving my efficiency. The same goes for just about anything else in CrossFit. You can’t squat 500 lbs. without being able to do a perfect air squat. You don’t start learning butterfly pull-ups until you can get a few strict ones. And, as I’m continuing to learn, you can’t hope for a muscle up without having strong lats.

Learning to crawl is essential before trying to run. In today’s world of overposting, tweeting, and Insta-bragging, it’s easy to watch competitive athletes and emulate them. Just because Rich Froning can PR his snatch with minimal amount of warm up sets doesn’t mean you should try it. Watching your favorite gymnasty athlete do a muscle up while tossing a med ball behind their head isn’t the green light to try it during practice. Maybe trying to complete “Murph” under an hour is a better goal than throwing on the 50# weight vest and finishing it 3 hours later.

It’s taken me a long time to really understand how fundamental the basics are in CrossFit movements. I’d be lying if I told you I practiced this from day one. But, I’m hoping that you don’t make the same mistakes as I did. Skipping steps does you no favors, especially as you get further along in your fitness journey. Going back to the basics is something we can all benefit from, no matter what level of fitness we are or where we are in our journey.